Of all the philosophers I read while I was studying for my MA degree, the one that I comprehended the most ( HA, the one I comprehended at all) was Soren Kierkegaard.
This article gives great insight into my understanding of how Kierkegaard viewed faith.
my favorite nugget of wisdom from the article is :
All in all, although Kierkegaard was not a Catholic, he reminds us that the monastic life is a shining example of how Catholics ought to approach their faith. Not by calling for all Catholics to take official vows or wear robes, but calling us to remember that at the heart of it all is a personal Divine Being who is worthy of and desires our simple, personal, and passionate commitment.
Pax
Showing posts with label Kierkegaard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kierkegaard. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Krazy Mixed up Week of Mine
I have had one strange week. Nothing has been simple or in the right place all week. Sorry I missed a Mystic Monday post, but I didn't even realize I hadn't posted one until this morning when my week got even stranger.
Anyway, to make up for it I am going to offer you today a quote from a man who just may be a mystic, but is most assuredly the only philosopher that I can read without my head feeling as though it will explode: Soren Kierkegaard. This particular quote is on Christians and biblical interpretation and offers a glimpse at the need of the human heart.
The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you?
This is such a Kierkegaardian statement, full of empathy and humor that it breaks your heart to realize that he is actually seeing exactly what you are feeling.
Or is that just me?
h/t to inward/outward for the quote.
Pax
Anyway, to make up for it I am going to offer you today a quote from a man who just may be a mystic, but is most assuredly the only philosopher that I can read without my head feeling as though it will explode: Soren Kierkegaard. This particular quote is on Christians and biblical interpretation and offers a glimpse at the need of the human heart.
The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you?
This is such a Kierkegaardian statement, full of empathy and humor that it breaks your heart to realize that he is actually seeing exactly what you are feeling.
Or is that just me?
h/t to inward/outward for the quote.
Pax
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
